Form or Function? An Examination of ESPN Magazine's “Body Issue”

Abstract

This study compared coverage differences in gender of athletes in the photographs over the five years of publication of ESPN The Magazine's annual “Body Issue.” Grounded in the theoretical basis of framing, gender, photograph motion and context, and amount of clothing worn in photographs were examined for incidence of gender bias. Though males and females were represented and framed in relatively equal amounts, the manner in which the athletes were framed was troubling. Overall passive in nature in their framing, the photographs of the athletes seem to do anything but highlight the athleticism in the vast majority of the photographs. The findings suggest that gender bias is still present in mainstream sports media.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kevin Hull

Kevin Hull (PhD, University of Florida) is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina. E-mail: [email protected]

Lauren R. Smith

Lauren R. Smith (PhD, University of Alabama) is an assistant professor and the Associate Director of Public Relations at Auburn University. Her main research area lies in the intersection between sports and media, specifically mass media and social media. Her research has been published in Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, the Howard Journal of Communication, Communication Research Reports, Electronic News, the Journal of Sports Media, the International Journal of Sport Communication, and Communication & Sport. E-mail: [email protected]

Annelie Schmittel

Annelie Schmittel (MS, Winona State University) is an associate professor in the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida. Her research interests center on social media technologies in the sport environment, crisis communication and image repair in sport, and athlete development. E-mail: [email protected]